


What Happened to the Promise

by Dirk_From_Statefarm



Category: Jung Noots
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-03
Updated: 2017-02-26
Packaged: 2018-08-28 20:19:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 7,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8461594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dirk_From_Statefarm/pseuds/Dirk_From_Statefarm
Summary: Sorry if it's a little long





	1. One

With a rising sun that painted the sky in warm hues and the water lapping gently at the side of the boat, a person would think everything is calm. Broken ships were scattered throughout the ocean. It wasn’t that uncommon find some slowly sinking down to the bottom. They leaned away from the railing and let out a small sigh.  
“Good morning to you too world.” The floor was cool beneath their feet as they slowly made their way to the stairs. “Maybe you can kill me today. Make me die like a hero, yeah?”   
‘Or maybe not. I’m not really a hero in anyone’s standards.’ The thought was on the darker side but that didn’t quite matter. Sitting in the middle of an ocean wasn’t exactly the ideal place for happy fun times. They hooked their thumbs into the top of their pants and yanked them down the moment they had reached their own room. The pants lay in a heap on the floor, next to all of the covers. ‘And this room is a mess too. Maybe I should clean it. Or maybe not. It isn’t too bad yet.’ When would too bad be though? They procrastinated with everything they could to get away from some of the simplest of things. The dark covers contrasted against the light skin as they were pulled over a curled up body. Sleep never did drag them under. It was more like an afterthought in the back of their mind waiting to become present later on. Instead, thoughts ran on a rampage and lashed out at each other randomly to gain the attention that they seemed to desire more than the other. They rolled over, dragging a pillow over their head and sighing.  
“Someone save me from myself.” Up on the deck, footsteps could be heard. There’s rattling as the anchor is slowly pulled up from the sea. Doors opened an closed and then came the quiet knock.   
“Dirk, you awake?” They groaned loud enough for whoever it was to hear, dragging the pillow off their head and sitting up slowly. As the door creaked open, a vibrant coral burst through. The color seemed to fill the room.   
“Stop being so concerned. It’s too much color to process this early.”   
“Oh! Um...I don’t know how to stop feeling that.” Dirk shrugged slightly, finally getting out of the bed and stretching. “You need pants.”  
“But I don’t wanna.”  
“Don’t make me mother you. You know I will.” They groaned and flailed their arms at the other.  
“Don’t mother your captain, Tina.”  
“Well, the captain should know how to get dressed.” She placed a hand on her hip before smiling faintly. “There’s food upstairs when you’re done getting ready.” Dirk watched the coral fade into more of a mustard orange.  
“Content?”  
“Very much so.” She gave a small wave before walking out of the room. Her footsteps could be heard going up the stairs and then trailing off as she got to far away from them to hear anymore. It wasn’t that they didn’t appreciate the concern. It was just… sometimes it was too much to handle and deal with. Being considered part of the devil by some people got to you sooner or later. Dirk ran a hand down their face. They shouldn’t be complaining about it. Other people had to deal with it too. Ellie for example, had the same issue. They didn’t exactly know how she dealt with it though.   
“I’m a captain of a pirate ship, and here I am moping around in my room. So professional of me. They probably think I’m pathetic. What happened to the promise I made?” They bent down and pulled their pant back on slowly, grabbing the legs and pulling them above the knee. “Gotta get myself pumped. Can’t let them know. Ellie might know though. It’s hard to fake your colors.” The floor felt cold against their feet as they went up onto the deck. Their crew looked from where they were and offered smiles.  
“Morning, Dirk!” Dirk tried not to force the smile. Out of the corner of their eye, they saw Ellie’s smile fall slightly.  
‘And you’ve blown it. Well, I guess it can’t really be helped. No matter how much I force my appearance to look, I can’t change my colors.’ Turning their gaze towards her, they gave a weak wave. Ellie looked back down at her notebook after a moment, bursting with a bluish gray.   
“Ellie!” Her head shot up and the notebook almost fell. “Good work yesterday. I’m proud of ya.” Her shoulders tensed up and her eyes fell back down onto her paper. Her cheeks were a deep read and her body radiated a yellow-green.  
“T-thank you.” Dirk laughed a little and walked into the kitchen, grabbing one of the many bowls and walking back out. The crew wasn’t very large but they posed just as much threat as anyone else did. Tina was looking over maps. Rosie was leaning against one of the railings with her never ending poker face. Ellie had started moving over towards Elsa, who was checking out the anchor’s chain. And here stood the captain, sitting on the floor eating a bowl of fruit.


	2. Two

       The day moved slowly. The ship was moving across a never ending sea. Well, obviously the sea wasn’t never ending. It had jsut been days since they had last reached an island. According to the map Tina had been looking over, they should be reaching an island soon enough. 

      ‘I just hope it’s before we’re scraping the barrels for supplies.’ Dirk looked up from their journal, twirling the feather pen between their fingers. A small honking made them pause. That meant mail was here but the bird had yet to come into view.

      “Dirk! Mail is here!” They groaned slightly as they stood, rubbing at their knees and frowning. They set down the journal on the kitchen and walked out of the open door. Rosie raised her arm, waving it a little to show off the mail she was holding. 

      “Anything for me?”

       “Just this one letter.” Their face lit up and they jogged over, grabbing the piece of paper extended to them. 

       “Is it from someone special?” Tina was grinning. “Do I need to work my cupid magic?”

      “I wish,” Fingers gripping the paper a little tighter as they read on, a frown slowly dawned on their face.

      “Dirk?” Tina looked like she was about to reach out and pull the other into a hug. She thought better of it and instead leaned on Rosie a little. They’re ears twitched after they lowered the paper slowly.

     ‘That just isn’t fair. You can’t just….’ 

     “You’re crying. Dirk, love, are you alright?” They nodded quickly and scrubbed at their face.

     “I’m sorry! I’m fine. I’m sorry. I should go check on some stuff.” Stepping back and turning, they almost ran into Elsa. “E-excuse me.”

     “Cap’?” She reached out and rested a hand on their shoulder. “I got a new joke, wanna hear it?” Dirk paused, staring at her before giving a watery smile.

     “Hit me. Well..not literally.”

     “What Kind of bagel can fly?” They opened their mouth before closing it and wiping away the last of their black tears.

     “Uh..I got nothing.”

     “A  _ plain _ bagel!” Dirk snorted, covering their mouth with the back of their hand and looking away for a moment.

     “That’s so stupid.”

     “Then why are you laughing at it?” She had this large grin on her face, arms crossed over her chest in triumph. 

     “An apricot orange really does suit you if I’m being honest.”

     “What’s that go with?”

     “Delighted.” The letter had been forgotten about until they crossed their arms and it was crushed up against their body. The smile on their face dropped a little. 

     “Don’t you dare jump into that water, Dirk!” Their fingers dug into the railing before they crumpled up the letter and threw it as hard as possible.

     “Why jump? It wouldn’t get me anywhere anyways. I think shoving my face into the fire so it melts off would serve me better.”

     “I would just heal you,” Tina piped up.

     “You can’t fix what’s on the inside.” Rosie called out same from where she was. Dirk covered their face and snorted. 


	3. Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if it's a little long

      Tracy was yelling about incoming land when the sun was just peaking over the horizon. Dirk burst through the captain’s office with a delighted scream. Ellie jerked her head up so fast they worried for a minute if she had whiplash. 

      “Dirk?”

      “Land! I’m so ready to step on land again!” They walked to the steps of the small platform and completely overstepped, letting out a small yelp and catching themselves on their hands barely. “I’m alright! Just...I think I might be bleeding.” They stood up and laughed a little, holding up their raw hands and grinning.

     “Dirk...I swear.”

     “That’s bad for you, Tina.” She gave an amused huff before grabbing their hands, black fingers brushing over the injury. Her eyes gave off a blinding light even during the morning. “Fascinating…”

     “Healing is my specialty. I’m honored that you find it fascinating.” Dirk shrugged a little and leaned next to Rosie on the railing, letting their arms reach as far as they could towards the water. 

     When they reached land, they were one of the first among them onto the land. People moved around in the small town, carrying baskets on their hips. Children ran after each other, laughing and reaching out to tag someone. Merchants chatted away with their customers as they picked out what they desired. A gently breeze swayed leaves and longer blades of grass.

     “We sticking together or splitting up and meeting up later?”

     “Up to you, Cap’n.” Dirk glanced over at Tracy and dragged a hand down their slowly reddening face.

     “Uh- splitting up is fine. Just sound the signal if something goes wrong okay?” Several nods before they all split into their own groups. Rosie walked off with Tina, their fingers interlaced. Ellie traveled off on her own and Tracy went with Elsa. Dirk stretched their arms above their head and walked amongst the several stalls that lined the streets. 

     “How much are your fruits?” The woman glanced up and seemed to hesitate. “M’am? Is everything alright?”

     “You...your eyes.” She flinched and held up her hands. “I’m sorry. That was impolite of me. Fruits are three Coins.” Her eyes were cast down towards the vibrant fruit.

     “I’ll buy the whole stand for whatever you think it’s worth.” She spluttered, looking at them with wide eyes.

     “You can’t be serious!”

     “I’m as serious as any pirate captain would be.” Reaching to their side, they untied a thin rope that held up a small burlap bag. Dirk grabbed her wrist and gently placed the bag into her palm. “500 coins should be enough. I do have more though if you think that your stand is worth it.” The woman’s hands shook as she set the pouch down and fumbled for words.

     “Pirates...I...Thank you very much! This is the most we’ve made in a few months!”

     “Don’t worry ‘bout it. Could you put the fruits into baskets? It’ll make carrying them easier. If you don’t mind, we’ll come and pick them up before the sun sets.” They were already walking away when she started nodding, hands in their pockets. 

     ‘Maybe we should introduce ourselves to the people or person that runs this place. Seems like it would be polite if we’ll be stocking up on a lot of our stuff here.’ Dirk paused, cupping their hands around their mouth and taking a deep breath.

     “Noot noot! Noot noot!” They placed their hands on their hips and waited, contemplated going to pick up some of the fruit before they decided it was best to just stay put. Everyone was drenched in lilac as they arrived. Except Rosie. She was more of a starfish orange that was hinted with a very small amount of lilac. Dirk held up their hands in a silent apology.

     “No need to be alarmed. I just needed all of us to be gathered. Shall we go introduce ourselves to the people that run the place?”

     “D ir k! We need more information before you worry us.”

     “How am I supposed to send more information when I sound the signal? ‘Noot no need to worry at all Noot’?”

     “Yes.” Ellie offered a small smile before chuckling. The small group made their way around town, asking where they could find the people that ran the place. The building was quite nice if they were being honest. It wasn’t some grandiose thing, but rather a two story home with pastel blue paint slowly starting to peel off the sides. It was accented with off white shutters and support beams. The doorbell gave off a songbird type of melody when pressed. 

     “Hello?” A young woman peeked her head out the door and smiled brightly. “How can we help you?” She opened the door all the way and stepped outside before closing it behind her. 

     “Hello, I am the captain of my pirate crew. We’re called the Nooties. I thought that it would be polite to introduce ourselves since we would be stocking up on supplies her. This is our Quarter Master, Rosie. Our Sailing Master, Tina. Ellie here is our Boatswain. Tracy here is our lookout.” Dirk paused, a slow grin spreading over their face. Elsa burst through their small group, sliding on her knees with a fist raised to the gods. 

     “This is our Sea Daddy. Get rekt.” Elsa stood after a moment and gave a polite wave.


	4. Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Graphite- Agony  
> Porpoise- Burdened  
> Bear creek- Powerless  
> Rust- Relief  
> Blush Blossom- Distressed  
> Regal Rose- Anxious

_       Shrieks flooded the air like a dam had been busted. Smoke rolled into the air, turning darker as the fires spread. Everything spun before landing on the arm of someone. Their black sleeve had been ripped apart and blood gushed from open wounds. There was a blinding light  just out of sight and yelling. The words were garbled and choked off into sobs. The occasional ‘LIVE GOD DAMN YOU’ could be heard over everything else. Brown boots came into view, the person seemed to stagger before a force slammed into them. The body dropped to the ground and then came the garbled screaming again. The blinding light stopped and feet slipped against the gravel. Everything was slowly coming into focus before the scene drastically changed. Grass swayed in the wind. There was no fire or screaming. There was small chatter and the occasional laughter. Music played softly in the background. The world tipped into a better view to show people dancing. Tables were placed along the street and people sat, drinking beer. Dogs sniffed at the ground to see if anything had been dropped.  _

They had sat around Tracy in a protective circle on the ship, but kept their distance. Dirk slowly got up, running their hands through their hair and pacing along the length on the deck. She had yet to wake up and the colors were changing rapidly. Graphite and porpoise to a bear creek gray. At some point it had changed to a blush blossom before fading into a rust orange. While it wasn’t unusual for them to change so quickly. Tracy’s had never changed through this cycle before. Ellie paused, slowly rising to her feet and walking over slowly.

“Hey.”  They flinched, looking over and smiling a little bit. “A regal rose suits you. Too bad it isn’t a positive thing.”

“I’m not the most positive person.”

“Same.” The silence was comfortable as they walked. Tracy groaned softly, fingers curling into the wood. Dirk froze, looking over and holding their breath. They didn’t move when she sat up, but they did let out the breath they had been holding. Everything was fine now. She reached up to touch the white markings on her neck that dropped below the collar of her shirt.

“I’m okay. No need to be worried. Just a little tired.”

“Then sleep.” She looked over at Rosie, mouth moving to form words. 

“But-”

“No buts. You should sleep.” Dirk paused before nudging Ellie a little bit.

“You can go up to the nest if you want. No need to keep look out since we’re good for the moment.” Ellie paused, before nodding slightly. They smiled before raising their arms above their head and letting out a small sigh. “Alright, guys! I’m gonna go wallow in my own self pity for a little bit. Scream if you need me.” They had left before anyone could really protest, only hearing Rosie call ‘Stay safe, Dirkles’ before the door was closed. The room was dark, cast in an unnerving silence that would never leave. 

“I wish I could see my own emotions. Not like it would change anything though. Maybe it would improve my lying skills.” Fingers twitching, they reached for the buttons of their shirt and popped them out of their spots. The fabric fell in a black heap on the floor. Dirk lit a candle and set it next to the mirror before slowly turning it around. The tattoo stood out more than they would ever care to admit. “Maybe I shouldn’t have left..” Reaching over their shoulder, they traced the edge of the black ‘X’ that stood behind the skull. Dirk hesitated before looking over the whole tattoo. The skull in front of the ‘X’ was broken in some spots. There was a crack running up it’s eye socket and part of the jaw seemed to have been shattered. At the top side on the left, a small piece had been broken off. The bottom part of the ‘X’ disappeared below the hem of their pants. 

“I wanna go home,” Their fingers dug into their skin. “Well...no. I can’t go back. Well, I mean. I suppose I could go back. Rosie could take care of this ship. That sounds like a good plan.”


	5. Five

      They were thankful that mail traveled fast. It was late into the night when they decided to peek over the edge of the nest. Ellie had gone down for food a while ago. She gave an understanding nod when Dirk started to climb up the rope. There was a ship far bigger than their own approaching. More grandiose in every manner. Letting out a relieved side, they made their way down to the deck. The black skirt they had changed in to fluffed up as they landed. The olive green that was held together by a button shifted slightly. They only thing from this ship that they planned on keeping was the belt with a small pistol hanging from it. It was the only type of ‘uniform’ the Nooties have. The note had been stabbed into the kitchen door.

      “This is for the better.” No matter how much they said it, it felt utterly wrong. The low baritone of a horn ripped through the air. Dirk hissed, raising both of their hands with their middle fingers raised. “You idiots!” Below the deck, they could hear several doors slam open. Now was not the time. They didn’t want to say goodbye. Shoulders tensing, they turned around and offered a smile as they ran onto teh deck.

      “Dirk!” Tina faltered slightly, looking behind them at the much larger ship. “What-”

      “I uh- I decided to go home?”

      “This is your home! We’re your family.”

      “I was on a pirate ship before. Quarter Master to be exact. I left a while back though and then I found you guys and made this place a home. It was just a home away from home though.”

      “If you left,” Tina paused to take a breath. “If you left then there was a damn good reason for it.” Dirk was the one who paused now, fingers curling into their skirt slowly.

      “Don’t make this hard for me, guys.”

      “We’re going to. You can’t just leave us like this.” Rosie stepped forward, eyebrows drawn together and lips twitching into a frown.”And we won’t just let you. You’re  _ our _ captain.  _ Our _ friend. Not their Quarter Master.  Not their family. Not their friend. You’re  _ our _ family. And I plan on keeping it that way.” 

      “I am so gay.” Dirk snorted, looking over at Tina. 

      “What’d you say?”

      “Nothing at all. But honestly, Dirk. Whatever you're going through we're gonna be here for you. You can stay here with us. No one is mad at you if that's what you think.” They took a slow step back and gave a watery smile. 

      “I love all of you guys.”

      “And we love you too which is why you should  _ stay _ . Dirk-  _ DIRK _ !” They had tipped themselves over the edge of the ship, letting their body drop towards the the sea that looked more like ink. They closed their eyes and waited for the water to engulf them. The weight of the situation came crashing into them like the water slamming into their back. If they went back then that would just lead the a worse state than they were already in. The lack of air settled in faster than the realization did. The salt water burned. The fact that there was no light to show what was lurking beneath the water caused a new wave of panic. 


	6. Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that it's so short!   
> Sherbet- Adore  
> Rust- Relief  
> Amber- Passion  
> Mustard yellow- Frustration  
> Regal Rose- Anxious  
> Rouge Pink- Uneasy  
> Coral- Concern

      Rosie gripped the top of her boots and yanked them off. The small hat that usually sat on top of her head slowly fell to the ground. Another splash made her jerk her head up. The ground was gone suddenly, body plummeting into the ocean as she dived in after. Her hand was outstretched, hitting the water first. Light burst through the water and a predatory shriek ripped through the air. Rosie’s eyes were bursting with a blinding light that reflected off the water like the sun. Beside her, a dragon like creature burst up from the water before diving back down with her. It circled around her protectively before diving further and opening its jaw. The water was lit up with the bio lights that pulsed with it’s heartbeat. Dirk was pushing at a male, clawing at his arms before they caught sight of the creature and screamed below the water. Air bubbled out of their mouth before they closed it and clawed at their own face from the lack of oxygen. The male let go and shoved them away. Rosie took it as a chance to grab onto their elbow and pull them back against her chest, moving towards the surface. There was no need to stay and watch what was happening. After all, it was her summoning they were talking about here. When they breached the surface, The others were leaning over the edge. Ellie was gripping the edge of a rope ladder, bursting with relief when they both surface. The rust orange and coral mixed well together, little swirls happening here and there. Tina Was overflowing with amber and sherbet. There were hints of coral here and there but the positive outweighed the negative. Elsa was a regal rose with a rouge pink. Dirk let their eyes travel over to Tracy who was drowning in coral. It took a moment to focus on Rosie since she was so close but there was a faint line of of a mustard yellow.

      “All right, up you go.” She nudged them towards the ladder and let go when they had a good grip on it. Climbing up seemed to take longer than it should have. Maybe it was because they were going have to face some very upset friends. As Dirk passed over the railing and stepped onto the ground again, they instantly turned back towards the sea and stretched their hand down to Rosie. She paused before grabbing and climbed over the railing as well. They glanced down at her wrist and stared at the name scrawled in fancy lettering. Little decorations surrounded it. A startled yelp left them as they were pulled into a hug. 

      “Group hug,” Tina announced. “Everyone get in here.” A shaky laugh left them at the sudden contact.

      “Y’all are gonna kill me I swear.”

      “With love and affection, obviously.”  Dirk snorted before squirming.

      “Okay, too much color. Sensory overload.” Their small group dispersed and Dirk glanced back at the larger ship. “If they haven’t tried coming over they probably think that I’m still in the water. It would benfit us if we left right now.” It took a few moments, but once the ropes had been untied and the black sails unraveled, curving as the wind picked up slowly. The grandiose ship was slowly getting smaller. Dirk had taken a seat next to Ellie once they changed into dry clothing. The silence was comfortable and there was no pressure to be social with each other. 

      “You really worried me, you know?”

      “Sorry.” 

      “It’s fine. You just need to talk to us before you go and throw yourself into an ocean.”

      “I was impulse.”

      “Try for me?” Dirk watched the faded colors out of the corner of their eye before shrugging a little.

      “Yeah, I promise to try.”


	7. Seven

      Clouds rolled slowly through the sky, forming shapes before breaking apart. The previous night still hung a little heavy in the air but it was slowly fading. It wasn’t something to be talked about again. Maybe on a later date or maybe later in the day. Dirk didn’t really know what would happen with the situation. Glancing over over Ellie, their shoulders sagged as the comfortable silence settled. In front of them, they had a few notebooks spread out with different emotions and colors that had gone with them. Ellie seemed to have far more; it was a given though, considering she was the older one out of the two. On her pages there were little bats doodled here and there. It made it feel homey and not like paperwork. It wasn’t really paperwork though. It wasn’t said that they had to write the emotions down, but it did make life easier. Her head was resting against her arms, one hand idly flipping through notes Dirk had taken over time. Occasionally she would ask what a word was when their handwriting had gotten too sloppy. They paused, opening their mouth to say something. 

      “Ell-” Looking over to her, her eyes were closed and her shoulders rose in a calm breathing. Hair framed her face and they way the sun fell on her just right made her look like a statue. Carefully standing, they closed the notebooks and stacked them neatly under the table so that they wouldn’t fall over. Dirk took a moment to pull their vest back down properly. The white tank top once again showed under the low V-neck. Downstairs was a little cooler than the deck, but not by much. Summer seemed like it was approaching. 

      ‘Finding Tracy would probably be best. I never did hear what happened after we left the island. Her visions are usually close enough to be true, though it depends on which one is gonna be happen. It also depends on if they even relate to us.’ Walking into the small lunge that they had, they decided to let themselves fall into the couch opposite of Tracy.

      “Hi, Cap’n.”

      “Hey, Tracy. I wanted to talk to you about the vision you had. If you don’t mind that is! I’ve heard they can mess people up. Not that you’re messed up at all! I meant-”

      “It’s fine.” She offered up a smile before talking about what she had seen. There were times when she would double back on what she said to make sure it came out right. Dirk ran a hand down their face when Tracy fell quiet. That was a lot to take in and the destructive one seemed to scream at them. The vague descriptions of the clothing matched them but they weren’t the only ones with these abilities or colors. Standing up slowly, they stretched their arms above their head.

      “Is that a new tattoo?” Dirk let out a startled squeak and yanked their vest and tank top down.

      “No. It’s just-”

      “A bruise?” Tracy supplied. “I mean that’s what it’s surrounded by. Did you hit something when you jumped into the ocean?”

      “Yes. That’s it. I hit a...very large fish?” It was such an obvious lie but Tracy didn’t bother to press. “I need to go uh. Get my journals off the deck.”

      “Stay safe, Cap’n.” They gave a small nod before slowly making their way to their room. Of course it was a tattoo. What else would it be? Well. Okay the bruise part was right so it could have just been a bruise. Dirk hadn’t noticed it though and it’s said to hurt a lot when they show up. Or maybe it really was just a bruise. Looking at it felt like they were admitting to a dark secret.

      ‘Maybe I should just blindly wrap it up and never look at it again. Oh god. If it..if it is a tattoo then. Someone has my name on them. My actual name.’ Sliding down the door, they rested their head against their knees and let out a shaky sigh. 


	8. Eight

      There had been several knocks on the heavy wooden door. There was a chair propped beneath the handle and just to make sure that the door wouldn’t be opening for a while, they had tied a thick rope to one of the bedposts. It was probably a bad idea but they were scared to face everyone else. They might not be happy. Well..no that was a lie they seemed to be happy when everyone’s mark had appeared. Tina liked to make sure that everyone was happy. It was part of her ‘cupid job description’. A name doesn’t mean they’re human. For example, the names on Ellie were a bat and a sheep.

      ‘Maybe it’s a fish. Or maybe I impulsively got a tattoo and just don’t remember. I think I would remember though. There isn’t any alcohol on the ship and if there is then it’s with Elsa locked up somewhere I can’t get to. What a wonderful predicament I have. Technically I don’t even...I should stop.’ Dirk ran the tips of their fingers over the small olive green stripes that ran down their vest. The buttons slipped through their slits with a worn ease. The fabric was set neatly on the bed and then off came the tank top. A smooth chest was reflected into the mirror. 

      “I wonder if I would be happier with a larger chest. Probably not.” Shifting a little, their eyes scanned over the room before resigning to the fact that they actually needed to light one of their lamps. Long shadows worked their ways over the walls and floor. “Okay, now I just need to look at it. I could always ask Tina to heal the bruise. Maybe.” Dirk stepped in front of the mirror again and looked over their body. Stomach curving out a little with what they had long ago labeled as pudge, a hand pressed against the faint stretch marks. Their ears came to points but they weren’t as large as some. It was more on the small side. Next was their eyes. Completely black with varying sizes of golden flecks. At the very edge there was a large one and it stood out more than the rest. It was possibly one of their favorite things about themselves. After a few moments though, they looked down at the marking standing out against the skin of their stomach. The ‘P’ curved in  large arch. The stem had a small curve to it. In smaller letters were the rest of the name and spelt ‘Peony’. 

      “Backwards reading for the win.” It was surrounded by tortoise shell fragments. There was a water surrounding the edges and wedging itself between some of the cracks. The water bled out into a vibrant bruise that seemed to be mostly purple with hints of a deep blue here and there. Dirk lightly drummed their fingers on it and hissed softly. The bruise might cause issues when going into battle. Not that they were going to go into battle. Blowing out the lamp and crawling into bed, they stared blankly at the door. The thought that they should take down everything they had set up crossed their mind for a brief moment.

      ‘Not that it really matters. No one has tried opening the door for a while. It porbbaly means that they’ll let me deal with it on my own. That’s always nice. Friends who understand you are the best. I wish I could see my own emotions, at least that would give the room some color. If I light myself on fire that’ll give the room some color too. Burning requires standing up.’ They fumbled for a moment, patting their hands over the bed. It took a moment but soon enough they found the cold handle. ‘Here we are. Holding this knife again. Would it even matter if I did? They probably just want me to get it over with so that Rosie can take over the ship. Why would they save me from drowning then? Maybe to seem like they were good people. They are good people though. They have always been such amazing people. Why am I doubting it though? I’m not. Yes I am. Why would I doubt it though? Because you’re pathetic. No. Yes. No, I’m… it’s not just me being pathetic.’

      “Worthless? Is that the word you’re looking for?” Dirk jerked, looking around the dark room. “Look up, darling.” It was...he...she...it? It was just sitting there. Seemingly smug with its placement in the room.

      “Who?”

      “You.”

      “Me?”

      “Who else would I be? I’m obviously you, but better. I’m what people want to see.The person who knows their gender. The person who is confident in their commands. The bravery that’s expected from a pirate captain. The person who isn’t afraid to scream. I don’t push people away. I’m not this pathetic, worthless elven captain like you are.”

      “I am….I’m fine. You aren’t real. You aren’t real.” Dragging a pillow over their face, Dirk chanted the words over and over in their head. This shouldn’t be coming back. This shouldn’t be happening again.


	9. Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's short. Sorry. I know i haven't really posted in a while, also sorry for that.

      Days had passed peacefully. It was still there. They could feel it gnawing at the back of their mind but nothing could be done. Tina could heal physical wounds, not the mental ones. Maybe it had been months that had gone by. Dirk had lost their concept of time slowly. Nights bled into mornings like there wasn’t a difference between the two. The color were darker, no longer vibrant. Even when they were negative, they had always been vibrant. 

      “Dirk?” Startled from their thoughts, they looked up.

      “Ah...hey Elsa.”

      “Hey, Captain. How’s it goin’?” Her body dropped into a crouch, lips curved into a gentle smile.

      “It’s….going, I guess. How’s everyone? I know I haven’t been really interacting with anyone…”

      “Good! We’re all good! Just a little worried for you, Captain.” Her smile seemed to grow at the nickname and then faltered slightly as Dirk just looked away. Usually they got embarrassed or at least smiled slightly. “Tracy had another vision. We asked her about it. It was described as screams so loud and high frequency that glass was shattering all around. There was blood everywhere.”

      “And the other half?”

      “There wasn’t another half. Dirk, there’s only one when it’s gonna come true soon.” It pulled them out of the hazy state their mind had settled into slowly. Something was going to happen and it obviously wasn’t in their favor. They stood slowly, rubbing at their face.

      “Gather everyone to the deck. We’re not going to skip the island, there’s no way to avoid the future. I’d rather not have it happen in the middle of the sea.” She seemed to hesitate for a moment before nodding. They stayed in the same spot several moments after she had walked away. This was only the beginning and here they were, seemingly about to die. Or someone was about to die. 

      The crew fell silent as Dirk walked up onto the deck.

      “Um...hi?”

      “Hi, Dirk! How’s it going?”

      “It could be better, you know? I heard about Tracy. So we’ll still be going to the island.” Nothing was said. It was just silent. “On a lighter note. I have a turtle named Peony. They usually travel under the boat to stay out of sight.”

      “They??”

      “I won’t assume the gender of my turtle.” A smiled cracked across their faces. It was pleasant. Didn’t feel so forced anymore. It should have never felt forced though. Ellie faltered slightly, seeming to cringe. Dirk looked at her apologetically, trying to calm their emotions. Colors were always so...bright. Always so overwhelming when someone couldn’t control them.

\---

      It was quiet. Towns people had settled themselves down for lunch. There seemed to be nothing wrong. Nothing seemed like it was going to attack them at any given moment. 

      “Tracy?” She hummed softly in response, looking up from where she was sorting through her bag. “Do you feel the pull?” 

      “Yeah, nothing to major yet. It’s at the back of my mind. I’ll let you know when it feels like I’m gonna pass out.” 

      ‘Is she gonna be able to though? Usually it happens faster than she can feel it. She isn’t fully elven though. Half human and half elf. If she wasn’t half of anything then she would feel it before it came. Deja vu is the key element here. Not that we’re lacking. She’s great at what she does.’ Elsa Placed her hands on her hips and stopped a few feet ahead.

      “As your Sea Daddy,” Dirk snorted, covering their mouth with the back of their hand and looking away. “I declare that we get..spices.” Her hands blurred slightly as she waved them excitedly in front of her.

      “Spices?”

      “Yeah, we’re actually out of what we usually use when we make food.”

      “But why a Sea Daddy command?”

      “Because it’s fun to watch you guys laugh.” 


	10. Final

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't continue this anymore. I feel like I shouldn't even be writing about this anymore. Abiout these friends. A part of me feels like I have lost them and I don't want to accept that. But that's how this is honestly. If any of you read this, I love you all honestly. You're some of the best people I have ever met. Thanks for being my friends.
> 
> -Dirk.

 

She wasn’t breathing. Her eyes had started to roll back into her head before flicking around. Her chin was slick with blood, running down to stain her shirt in thick rivulets. There was a roar and angry shriek from someone else. She jerked slightly, blood bubbling up against her tongue. 

“You’re gonna be okay. You’re doing great. Just hang in a little longer.” She still tried to smile up at them. “No. Don’t close your eyes. Ellie. Ellie!” It was slowly bubbling up. All of these emotions. “Don’t fade. Please. Don’t let your colors dim.” Tina was healing Elsa and Tracy, who had taken some major blows. No one to help. No one to save. Why were they so useless? Why couldn’t they have been to heal? Below them the colors flickered in and out. Dirk rocked back and forth, clawing at their own face with bloody hands. Ellie’s blood. Suddenly all the sounds were drowned down into shrieking. It slowly raised into pitched until windows were shattering. Rosie stumbled, whipping around to stare. Tina hissed and covered her ears. Dirk jerked forward, curling themselves over Ellie and sobbing weekly. It wasn’t meant to end like this. It wasn’t meant to turn out this way. Ellie was supposed to live. They has so many adventures yet to come. So many things to accomplish. She promised. They had all promised. Why. Whywhywhwywhywhywhy? They’d give up their soul for her to come back. They would switch their places if they could. Lungs protested with the lack of oxygen. Maybe this would be their final hurrah. Dirk didn’t want to go one without all of them there. They stood on unsteady legs and grabbed their trademark gun from the holster on their hip before bending down to grab Ellie’s. Running into battle bursting with emotions had never been their intent. Glancing around, they noticed Tracy wasn’t moving at all. Tina looked like she was on the verge of having a breakdown. Elsa was smiling to her weakly and struggling to stand back up. No one would want to sit around and watch their friends die slowly, that was understandable in every sense. Everything was going to be okay. Tracy hadn’t predicted this though. Tracy was dead. Dirk couldn’t hear anything, ears ringing and stomach burning with bullet wounds they refused to hve treated. This was the final hurrah. They would die together. They would die as friends and as a team.


	11. Eleven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting from my phone sorry

“Do we have everyone?”  
“No, we’re still missing Dirk. Tracy didn’t make it either. We’ll have to hold a proper funeral for her.”  
“Did we lose anyone else?”  
“Well if Dirk is dead, then we lost them too.” They shifted, tongue working at the blood dried to the roof of their mouth. The voices… they sounded too far away. Dirk idly wondered if they would be heard if they tried to call out. Their fingers twitched, bloody nails scraping lightly across the ground.  
“We should just look around one more time. Just to see?”  
“We couldn’t find them the first three times though. I don’t know where they would be.”  
“Have we checked in the buildings?”  
“Um...no.” An exasperated sigh. Footsteps drew closer and then faded away. Making a sound would probably help.It would definitely help. How did they end up in here again? Not like it mattered much anyways. Dirk groaned, pushing their chest off the ground and drawing in a breath sharply as their elbows have out.   
“Did anyone hear that?”  
“Hear what?”  
“I swore someone just groaned.” Oh look, they had their attention. Words were on the tip of their tongue and turned into a garbled mess as they coughed blood into a hand. “Dirk?” They let out a wheezing breath, forcing themselves to stand carefully.   
“Ah…” A moment to spit out a blood and saliva mixture. “Noot...noot.” Fear coiled in their gut as things shifted in and out of focus. To their right was a shattered window and in front of them was an actual door. The window was closer but also hard to move out of. “Jesus…”   
“Dirk!” They jerked, wincing and looking back out the window. Rosie stood there, bouncing on her toes before holding up a hand. “Wait right there. I’ll get Tina.” The taller female was once again out of sight.   
“Dirk!” They opened their eyes slowly, not even realizing they had closed them. Tina was grinning, bursting with a color that seemed too difficult to understand at the moment. She paused for a moment before walking over quickly and walking through the door. “So you’ve been here. Well that’s okay, just worried me. How are you feeling?”  
“Like I took a round of bullets to the gut. Though, I suppose I did. Is uh...did Ellie….”  
“Ellie’s still here. Just barely got her in time. Everyone is here...though Tracy..” She shifted, mouth pressing slowly into a thin line as she took slow breaths through her nose. “Just sit down for me, okay? I’ll heal you right up.” Dirk collapsed to the ground with a pained grunt, head leaning back against the wall.   
“What happened out there?”  
“None of us remember. It looks like an explosion though. Lift your shirt up for me please.”   
“Ah...jeez. God the last thing I remember is screaming. What happened after that?”  
“You stood up and, if I put it into the simplest term, went on a rampage. Rosie summoned beasts I didn’t even know she was capable of summoning. Elsa used our trademark gun like you and while I fought a little bit, I mostly came to aid you guys for healing. Something happened after that and I was the first to wake up.”  
“Sounds fun.” Rosie poked her head in through the window, telling both of them that everyone was gathered on the ship and ready for departure when they were. Dirk looked towards Tina’s hands, taking note of how the blackness of her fingertips faded into pale skin around the center of her hand. They then took note of how brightly her eyes were shining. The points of her ears poked out from behind her hair. It was nice, honestly, to feel their skin shifting back together, no matter how odd it sounded.


End file.
